This Saturday, June 6, The Cleveland Museum of Art (The CMA) will celebrate its 110th birthday. Founded in 1916, the museum was created with an ambitious vision: to build a world-class institution “for the benefit of all the people forever,” and do so by offering free general admission daily.

Called “one of the nation’s most important art institutions” by The New York Times and “a cultural powerhouse” by The Washington Post, The CMA is home to more than 66,500 works of art spanning 6,000 years.

Martin Puryear's 'Noblesse O.,' 1987.Celebrate with free exhibits
The museum has a host of events planned for the celebration of this milestone birthday this weekend. Perhaps at the top of the list is free ticketed admissions to Martin Puryear: Nexus and Manet & Morisot on Saturday, June 6. Tickets normally cost as much as $19 per person for each exhibit.

Martin Puryear: Nexus is a retrospective exhibit that spans more than six decades of work by renowned American sculptor Martin Puryear. Featuring sculptures, drawings, prints, and public-art projects, the exhibition explores Puryear’s masterful use of materials and abstract forms to examine themes of history, identity, culture, and the natural world. The exhibit offers a comprehensive look at one of the most influential contemporary artists of his generation.

Bethe Morisot's 'Summer: Woman Beside a Window,' 1878.Manet and Morisot explores the artistic and personal relationship between French painters Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, two influential figures in the development of modern art. Through paintings, drawings, and correspondence, the exhibit looks at how the two artists inspired and influenced one another while challenging traditional artistic conventions in 19th-century France.

Exhibits like Martin Puryear and Manet & Morisot are part of the reason why The CMA welcomes hundreds of thousands to experience truly remarkable art. The institution works to help the broadest audience understand and engage with the world’s great art while honoring the highest aesthetic, intellectual, and professional standards.

Through world-renowned exhibits, educational programs, community partnerships, and innovative digital experiences, including Open Access and the award-winning ArtLens experience, The CMA continues to push the boundaries of how audiences connect with art—making it more accessible to all.

In honor of 110 years, Museum staff offers everyone in the Cleveland community these additional birthday gifts:

Member perks
On Saturday, June 6, all CMA members can present their membership cards to the parking attendant upon arrival to receive free parking in The CMA garage. Spaces are limited and are available first come, first served.

Once parked, stop by Provenance Café and enjoy a special free cookie with any food purchase and proof of CMA membership.

Stop by Provenance Café on Saturday, June 6 and enjoy a special free cookie with any food purchase and proof of CMA membership.The CMA’s gift to guests
From this Thursday, June 4, through Thursday, June 11, The Museum is taking $40 off Ambassador level membership, (normally $150), to match the number of birthday candles. The offer applies to two-year memberships as well. Join, renew, or upgrade to a level with reciprocal museum benefits. Use promo code CAKE110 to redeem today.

Shop ‘till you drop
As part of the birthday celebration, from Friday, June 5, through Wednesday, June 10, CMA members receive an extra 10% discount on all eligible purchases. This discount is available online and on-site, and free curbside pickup is available. Sale and consignment items are not eligible for additional discounts.

A nod to the founders
The CMA celebrates 110 years of making art accessible to all with deep gratitude for the generosity, ambition, and vision of its founders.

Over the past century, The CMA has become one of the world’s most distinguished comprehensive art museums, a cultural institution that inspires a love of art and learning, of scholarship, and an appreciation for creative expression.

When Jeptha H. Wade II declared the Cleveland Museum of Art was “for the benefit of all the people forever,” on opening day on June 6, 1916, he was executing the vision of three business leaders—industrialist and inventor John Huntington; real estate investor Horace Kelley; and lawyer, banker, and railroad executive Hinman Hurlbut.

Each of these men made generous bequests in their wills to fund a new art museum.

According to FreshWater writer Tom Matowitz’s 2021 article, “Lasting legacy: the men who envisioned the Cleveland Museum of Art,” the trio’s executors became aware of their same wishes and cooperated to establish one grand museum instead of three lesser ones.

Edouart Manet's 'The Railway,' 1872-73.This was a lengthy process, as all three benefactors died 25 years before the museum opened.

With financing secured, the renowned Cleveland architectural firm Hubbell & Benes was selected to design the new building and the team opted for a dignified white marble neoclassical Beaux Arts design. The new structure cost $1.25 million—the equivalent to $25 million today.

Additional benefactors who have continued to support the Cleveland Museum of Art include the Severances, Holdens, Nortons, Warners, Allens, and Wades. Prominent Cleveland businessman William G. Mather was also a major benefactor during this time and the 2012 $7.5 million donation from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation was the greatest single act of philanthropy in the museum’s storied history.

More than a century after opening its doors, Museum director William M. Griswold states on the museum website that the mission remains the same.

“The museum’s mission is as relevant and important today as it was over 100 years ago,” Griswold notes. “It remains a place to explore history and creativity, a venue for the exchange of ideas, and an institution where neighbors can celebrate their differences and reflect on their shared humanity. In today’s increasingly fractured society, our mandate—to serve ‘all the people’—resonates more loudly and widely than ever before.”